The Best Vegan Apple Crisp Recipe - Build Your Bite (2024)

FAQs

How do you keep apples from getting mushy in apple crisp? ›

The choice of apple you use in the crisp can affect how watery it may turn out. Choose a baking apple like Granny Smith or pippin, not Red Delicious. Also, make sure you use a thickener like flour or corn starch.

Your topping is crumbly—you don't want your filling to be crumbly, too. Adding cornstarch and flour to the apple mixture will help bring your crisp's filling together. You want to make sure you have a nice balance of the sweet and tart in your dessert.

Like an apple crisp, an apple crumble is a baked fruit dessert with a layer of topping. But unlike the crisp, the crumble topping rarely includes oats or nuts. Instead, a crumble's topping is more like streusel, made with flour, sugar and butter.

Under the simple butter-sugar-flour-and-oat topping is the apple filling scented with cinnamon. Our test kitchen says baking apples, like Rome or Cortland, are the best varieties to use for apple crisp, but Empire, Gala, or Braeburn apples are also good in this recipe.

How can I make my apple crisp crispy? If your butter to flour to sugar ratio is off, it will result in a less crispy topping. You want to be careful not to add too much flour or too little. Also, we love adding old fashioned rolled oats to our crumble because it really gives it a nice crunch.

Baking: Start baking the apple crisp covered with foil. This allows the apples to soften without any risk of the topping over-browning. After about 20 minutes, remove the foil and let the crisp finish cooking uncovered. Once the juices are bubbling, the topping is golden brown, and the apples are tender, it is done!

Add a little extra fresh lemon juice to help prevent the apples from turning super brown. Prepare the entire apple crisp, cover well, and refrigerate the night before baking. Don't wait any longer than overnight before baking, to prevent the apples from browning too much or drying out/spoiling.

Cornstarch- I used cornstarch to help bind the apples. You could also substitute with all-purpose flour, but I prefer the texture with cornstarch. Cinnamon- I added a little bit of cinnamon because it pairs so nicely with the apples. Nutmeg- The nutmeg is optional, but gives this apple crisp a nice touch and spice.

Use cold, cubed butter.

Making the crumble with room temperature or melted butter will cause the topping to spread as it bakes, rather than creating a landscape of craggy, crunchy sweet pieces. Using cold butter will help all the crumble ingredients bind together before baking and then saturate them evenly in the oven.

Bake the apple crisp until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is golden brown and crisp, about 45 minutes. Serve the crisps warm with vanilla bean ice cream or fresh whipped cream, if desired.

Why is it called Brown Betty? ›

This has led some historians to believe that Betty was the name of the cook and creator of the recipe and that brown was in reference to her skin color.

Does apple crisp need to be refrigerated after baking? While some sources suggest that fruits pies and crisps can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days, I highly recommend refrigerating it to be on the safe side. Can you reheat apple crisp? Yes!

In a large bowl, toss together apples, granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, lemon juice, cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; transfer to prepared dish. In a bowl with an electric mixer, beat butter with brown sugar until fluffy. Mix in 1 cup flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt until large pieces form. Scatter over filling.

Some apples are naturally crisp and firm when bitten into, while others have a softer or mealy texture. For example, varieties like Honeycrisp and Fuji are known for their crispness, while Red Delicious may have a softer texture.

Not enough butter, and your topping will be a dry, floury mess. Too much butter and your topping will become a greasy blob or disappointingly soggy. Some recipes will ask you to cut in cold butter along with your dry ingredients, resulting in pea-size pieces that are sprinkled across the hot fruit filling.

Gently precook the apples, which drains them of liquid and shrinks their bulk. They'll shrink no more once they're added to the pie, which means there'll be no gap between the filling and the top crust. But don't toss out that liquid!

I prefer slicing the apples the day I plan to bake the crisp as they start to oxidize once they're sliced and turn brown in color. Add a little extra fresh lemon juice to help prevent the apples from turning super brown. Prepare the entire apple crisp, cover well, and refrigerate the night before baking.

Pay close attention to the apples you're choosing for your pie, as overripe fruits will cause your filling to turn mushy. Choose firm apples for baked pies to achieve the sweet yet tart flavor. Reserve those overripe apples for chilled pies or applesauce instead.

Perfect Pie Tip #6: Choose Tart Apples

When apples are cooked, this pectin breaks down, and the apples turn mushy. However, there are ways to control this pectin breakdown, helping you to ensure that your apple slices are tender, but still hold their shape in the pie.